Civil servant loses RM37,300 in phone scam

SIBU: A civil servant has fallen victim to a gambling and fake investment syndicate, resulting in the loss of RM37,300 after being deceived by individuals impersonating officials.
The incident transpired on July 22 when the victim, in her 30s, received a call from a person posing as a representative from the Department of Communications and Multimedia.
According to Sibu OCPD ACP Zulkipli Suhaili, the imposter informed the victim that her phone number had allegedly been linked to a gambling and fake investment syndicate in Perak.
Subsequently, the victim’s call was transferred to someone claiming to be Sergeant Danial Lau from the Perak Police Contingent Headquarters.
The fake officer conveyed that the victim’s bank account was implicated in a fraud case involving multimillion-ringgit losses.
“To resolve the case,” ACP Zulkipli stated, “the victim was instructed to make immediate payments.”
“Fearing legal consequences, the victim complied with the instructions provided by the imposter and transferred RM37,300 into three unfamiliar bank accounts between Aug 1 and 7.”
Upon attempting to contact the suspect, the victim realised she had been duped, as the imposter had blocked her calls.
The victim reported the incident to the police on Monday (Aug 14), leading to an investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
ACP Zulkipli advised the public not to panic when receiving calls from unknown individuals claiming to represent government departments, agencies or financial institutions.
He urged them to seek information and scam guidance from the National Scam Response Centre (NSRC) or follow the official Facebook pages of @CyberCrimeAlertRMP and @JSJKPDRM.
To avoid falling prey to scams, individuals are encouraged to verify suspicious bank accounts or phone numbers using the Semak Mule website at http://ccid.rmp.gov.my/semakmule/